NPL will continue with or without unwilling teams - Kauta

19/10/2017
by Rodney Pienaar Sports

The Namibia Premier League (NPL) Chairperson Patrick Kauta says that the league will commence with or without teams that have written to his office not to take part in the league if their request is not attended to.

This comes after Black Africa FC, Tigers FC and Orlando Pirates FC jointly wrote to Kauta threatening to pull from the games, if their demands were not met.

The group allegedly demanded that NPL announce and rectify the football season calendar to avoid league nullification. They also asked to be given at least six weeks to prepare for the league starting on 11 October this year.

Kauta has said that he will write back to the lawyers representing the teams tomorrow and that the league will continue as it has been announced.

The countries top league is scheduled to kick off this Friday, follow their announcement on Tuesday.

“We have dealt with the issue of the teams that do not want take part in the league. The league will proceed. We don’t have any reason to put the league on hold after such as a long time.

"It is not in the best interest of football to postpone the league after such a long time again. We are going to forward with the league as planned,” he said.

He added that the league was officially launched today and that this weekend Orlando Pirates will face off with African Stars in a home game.

Blue Waters FC spokesperson Tostao Imbili told The Villager that he was not aware of the letter and that his team was ready to part take in the games.

“We are not involved with this letter at all. We distance ourselves from it. We have written to the chairperson today that Blue Waters is not and has not been a part of the group. We are ready to take part in the league.

"Whoever went there using our name has done so without us knowing anything about this letter. We are not interested in such nonsense we are just interested in playing football and that is all we can say from blue waters side,” he said.

The Letter asked for the postponement of the league claiming that the four teams did not expect that the league will kick off this weekend as several other initiative dates were given but were never honoured.

“Our clients had no expectations that the league could start during this year (2017). As the lawfully announced and communicated football season calendar by NFA by FIFA rules is February and November each year therefor lawfully the league could not commence outside the authorised football season as that will result in the nullification of the league thus resulting in wasted expenditure for our clients,” the letter read.

Kenneth Angula who spoke on behalf of Tigers FC’s has also acknowledged the letter.

Although he did not want to discuss it in detail saying, “I can not say which team sends the letter”.

Efforts to get a comment from Orlando Pirates FC and Black Africa were not successful.